


How I Met Your Mum

by SouthernBoy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Backgrounds have been changed, But many plot points will be the same, F/M, More characters as they're introduced, angst on angst on angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:05:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6443662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthernBoy/pseuds/SouthernBoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz was grateful the house was full again with his three beloved kids back home for Christmas, all at various stages of their education but still in sync as siblings ought to be.  He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of an excuse not to tell the story of his life.</p>
<p>“Alright, alright,” Fitz reluctantly agreed.  He paused and cleared his throat before speaking again.  “Kids, this is the story of how I met your mum.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home for the Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first FF I've ever written. I hope you guys like it as much as I love all the other FFs posted here. I have the entire story outlined and drafted, but we'll see how often I'm actually able to post on here. All and any feedback is appreciated.

Fitz fidgeted in his well-worn dark leather arm chair. Three sets of wide eyes were peering at him from the couch in front of him, in anticipation. Fitz took a deep breath and looked at the sight before him. His three greatest creations who had piled into the study with a simple question. He took a long sip of his beer and placed the bottle down on the coffee table.

Marie, the oldest at 23, cocked her eyebrow at her father. “Well? All we asked was how you met Mum. We’ve asked everyone. Aunt Daisy and Aunt Bobbi always try to change the subject to the boring boys that keep dropping by the lab to talk about themselves.” Fitz glared at Marie with his usual over-protectiveness.

David, aged 20, spoke up. “Uncle Hunter said we didn’t have enough beer to tell a story that long.” Fitz always kept the house well-supplied with beer and whiskey, but it didn’t take a genius to strategically forget to tell Hunter which wall panel would reveal where the booze was stored.

Peggy, aged 17, scowled. “And every time I tried to ask anyone else, they kept asking me when I’m going to finish my first Ph.D. I’m not that far behind everyone else in this family!” Fitz chuckled proudly that all of his children had taken to science as he had.

The three children nodded in rhythm and looked from their seats on the couch back to their father, their expressions hopeful. Fitz was grateful the house was full again with his three beloved kids back home for Christmas, all at various stages of their education but still in sync as siblings ought to be. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of an excuse not to tell the story of his life.

“Alright, alright,” Fitz reluctantly agreed. He paused and cleared his throat before speaking again. “Kids, this is the story of how I met your mum.”


	2. When Fitz Met Simmons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Hall looked back to his list as he continued to assign the remaining lab partners while Fitz didn’t know what to do or say, yet again. Simmons quietly cleared her throat and turned to look Fitz in the eye. Before Fitz could say anything, Simmons simply said, “I do believe we can act professionally around each other as we complete the assigned lab projects. If you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours and we’ll be through this inconvenience with the least amount of pain as possible.”
> 
> Fitz looked down at the blank page of his opened notebook and cursed to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!

The day Fitz met Simmons was the most embarrassing day of his life. Fitz had heard about another child prodigy hailing from Sheffield, England that was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. at the same time Fitz was. Actually, Fitz knew about Dr. Dr. Jemma Simmons well before he stepped foot on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy campus as he diligently followed Simmons’s double doctoral work at Harvard. It was quite easy since Fitz attended MIT in nearby Boston. Fitz attended a few conferences where Simmons presented her work on dendrotoxins and read her both of her dissertations (which he found brilliant). He even saved her published papers and articles from science journals as her research seemed to fit perfectly with his non-lethal weaponry project Fitz was developing. His hope was to provide law enforcement with another option when deadly force was excessive and a taser was rendered useless. Perhaps it could even be applied to the military to help prevent civilian casualties in active combat zones. Maybe, just maybe, even the Avengers could utilize his tech as they worked to save Earth from all of the evil in the universe.

Because of this, Fitz always thought he would get on with Simmons. The life of a child genius was a lonely one, and Fitz yearned to meet a kindred spirit that could keep up with his active mind. He wanted to approach her at the conferences to introduce himself and possibly strike up a partnership since he believed they would be twice as smart if they worked together, but Fitz would lose his nerves at the last moment. At one award banquet in Boston where Fitz and Simmons were presented awards for doctoral students who showed the most promise, they even made eye contact and Simmons gave him a shy smile before Fitz ran away much like a clumsy cartoon character, even knocking over a podium and a server with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. In the science community, his genius was never questioned, but his social skills were always lacking and noticed by his peers. Fitz tended to show other scientists flaws in their published research and question whether or not they considered a myriad of variables or alternative methods. Those who understood his temperament silently jotted notes and would ask leading questions since they knew Fitz in a five minute rant would provide them with comments for six months’ worth of work to help them hone their own research. Those who just met Fitz wanted to punch him in the face but chose not to because he wasn’t even old enough to grow facial hair.

But here he was, sitting in the back row of his Advanced Organic Chemistry lecture and pondering why every class at the Academy was called “Advanced” when Simmons walked in to the lecture hall. Fitz straightened up immediately, watching Simmons as she scanned the other cadets, almost as if she was analyzing them. When her gaze reached Fitz, her face lit up with a dazzling smile. Fitz could only manage the smallest of smiles and his face burned from the blush that covered his face like a crimson mask. Simmons approached him and gestured to an empty seat next to him.

“Is this seat taken?” Simmons enquired nervously.

Fitz shook his head. “All yours,” Fitz replied, curtly. He kicked himself for not being more courteous.

A look of surprise flashed over Simmons’s face before her smile returned, albeit forced this time. “Thank you. I’m Jemma Simmons, by the way.” Simmons said as she sat and extended her hand towards Fitz.

“I’m Fitz. Leo Fitz, but everyone just calls me Fitz,” Fitz mumbled, quickly shaking Simmons’s hand.

“I know who you are, Fitz. I just never had the chance to be formally introduced to you. I believe we’ve attended the same conferences during our doctorate studies. It’s a shame we never spoke back then. I think your work is fascinating and brilliant. Plus, all biochemists need a capable engineer to create new tech that could potentially change the world and save lives.” Simmons paused. “I’m sorry, I tend to ramble when I’m… well never mind.”

Fitz regarded Simmons for a moment as it was her turn to blush. “I know who you are, too. Your work on dendrotoxins is nothing short of brilliant. I read your dissertations and all your papers and articles. I think I may have an effective delivery method that could take both our work to the next level.”

Simmons’s eyes lit up and her smile returned. “That’s incredible! I’ve tried to come up with a delivery method, even recruited a half-competent mechanical engineer to help but couldn’t really get anything to work. I should have looked for one from MIT instead! Perhaps this is something we can chat more about after class?”

For some reason, Fitz didn’t know how to respond to Simmons’s enthusiasm and genuine interest in him. It was as if his brain decided to call it a day and walk right out of his skull. He focused his eyes on the lectern as Dr. Franklin Hall approached and muttered, “I’ve got quite the busy schedule. I covered most of the Academy curriculum at MIT, so I’m focused on graduating and start on real, meaningful work as soon as possible.”

Fitz cringed and saw Simmons’s face fall out of the corner of his eye. 'You pillock! You wanted to meet her for years and this is how you treat her when you aren’t running away from her like a prat? Right when she seemed interested in working together?' Fitz thought. Simmons turned towards Dr. Hall and in a small voice replied, “Right. Sorry to have bothered you.”

Fitz barely heard Dr. Hall as he began his introduction and went over the syllabus. All he could think about was how he lost his opportunity with Simmons. For a brief moment, he felt an intellectual connection with a true peer that he had been searching for his entire 17 year life, but now, he felt empty and embarrassed. There was no way Simmons would want to talk to him again after this, much less work with him. Little did he know, Dr. Hall would have something to say about that. 

“Dr. Fitz and Dr. Simmons?” Dr. Hall’s voice snapped Fitz back to the real world.

“Yes, Dr. Hall?” Simmons responded as she raised her hand.

Fitz mimicked Simmons as he raised his hand. “Sir?”

“Ah, yes. There are the two child geniuses I’ve heard so much about. Fitting you’re sitting together and appear to be well-acquainted.” Dr. Hall’s comment lead to chuckles from the other cadets while rendering Fitz and Simmons mortified. “I think its best that you two team up for the semester for all the lab projects outlined in the syllabus.”

Dr. Hall looked back to his list as he continued to assign the remaining lab partners while Fitz didn’t know what to do or say, yet again. Simmons quietly cleared her throat and turned to look Fitz in the eye. Before Fitz could say anything, Simmons simply said, “I do believe we can act professionally around each other as we complete the assigned lab projects. If you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours and we’ll be through this inconvenience with the least amount of pain as possible.”

Fitz looked down at the blank page of his opened notebook and cursed to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's the first real chapter! Chapter names will be pop culture references :) Forgive me if my British slang is off. I do enjoy the name calling (prat, pillick, muppet, etc.)
> 
> Any and all comments/feedback is appreciated! Thanks for reading and hope you stick around for the ride. It's worth it, I promise!


	3. Let Me Tell You About My Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simmons ripped out a page from Fitz’s still-open notebook and wrote down her number and email address. “Here, send me your classes and I’ll get our time booked in the labs. I expect us to ruin the curve for everyone.”
> 
> Fitz chuckled. “My God, woman. Do you love homework more than life itself?”
> 
> “I do not! I simply enjoy performing extremely well in my coursework and the best way to do so is to excel in preparation."

After spending the previous 45 minutes in a futile attempt to pay attention to the rather unengaging introductory lecture presented by Dr. Hall, Fitz was surprised to see Simmons standing next to him after their esteemed lecturer’s final comments, waiting silently as Fitz collected his things.

“Fitz, if you would email me your class schedule, I can reserve us lab time that’s most convenient to both of our workloads.” Simmons was half-turned away from him as she spoke. “I promise not to monopolize your time, but I am very thorough with my work and take pride in my meticulousness.”

Fitz felt a pang of guilt and tried to think of something quickly to brighten Simmons’s mood and diffuse the awful situation his social ineptitude ushered in.

“Actually, I don’t mind spending most of my free time in the lab. I feel a sense of serenity when I’m working on schematics or tinkering with a personal project.”  
Simmons slowly turned towards Fitz with a soft look in her eyes. The beginnings of a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as her eyes met his. 

“I feel exactly the same,” Simmons said in a quiet but awed voice. “Some of the most exciting moments of my life have been in the lab. That sounds quite sad, I suppose, but you don’t know how refreshing it is to hear the same thing from someone… someone like…”

“Someone like yourself?” Fitz finished with a knowing smile.

Simmons matched Fitz’s smile with one of her own. “Exactly.”

Fitz saw his chance and took it. “Look, I’m sorry for acting like an arse before. I’ve just never met anyone who was like me. I didn’t have many mates growing up, being a child genius and all, and all I really had  
was my older sister and my mum to talk to.”

“It’s quite alright,” Simmons said. “It was the same for me as well. Once I figured out my ‘friends’ at Harvard were only spending time with me so I would help them with their coursework, I realized I really only had my parents and younger sister I could trust. And I’m afraid I must apologize to you as well. I tend to come across as headstrong and demanding and I’ve tried to work on that…”

“No! You weren’t! You’re perfect!” Fitz interrupted. His face turned red when he realized he suffered a telltale case of verbal diarrhea.

Simmons smirked and placed her hand on Fitz’s shoulder. “I’m quite far from perfect, actually. But I believe that if we really gave this a go, we’d form quite the partnership.”  
Fitz face burned even redder at the feel of Simmons’s hand on his shoulder. “Yes, I suppose we would.”

Simmons ripped out a page from Fitz’s still-open notebook and wrote down her number and email address. “Here, send me your classes and I’ll get our time booked in the labs. I expect us to ruin the curve for everyone.”

Fitz chuckled. “My God, woman. Do you love homework more than life itself?”

“I do not! I simply enjoy performing extremely well in my coursework and the best way to do so is to excel in preparation,” Simmons scoffed, smirk still on her face.

As they parted ways and headed to their next classes, Fitz didn’t notice the smile plastered on his face. He was only through the first class of his first day at the Academy, but he already deemed his semester a resounding success. He finally spoke to Dr. Dr. Jemma Simmons. Although he almost cocked it up before they had a chance to work together, his brilliant mind finally came through in a social setting and now, they were making plans blow all the other lab pairs in their class out of the water.

Dr. Anne Weaver, the Head Director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, was walking down the corridor of lecture halls when she spotted Fitz. 

“Ah, Dr. Fitz! A word?” Dr. Weaver asked, snapping Fitz out of his thoughts.

“Hi, Dr. Weaver. What can I do for you?” Fitz responded, nervously. ‘Surely I didn’t offend anyone or cock anything up on my first day, did I?’ he wondered.

“I wanted to check in with you and see how you were settling in here at the Academy.”

Fitz nodded. “Oh, yes. I believe I’m settling in quite well. I just left Dr. Hall’s Advanced Organic Chemistry lecture and am headed to Advanced Aeronautical Engineering.” ‘Again with the ‘Advanced’ class titles!’

“Fantastic! I also wanted you to know that while most of your classmates are a few years older, there are a few first year cadets who are closer to you in age. Two others, to be exact. I’m sure you’ll run into them as the semester progresses.”

Fitz was a little confused. “Well I did just meet Dr. Simmons and were paired up for our lab projects. Actually, we’ve known each other from our undergraduate and doctorate studies. But I wasn’t aware of another cadet in our age group.”

Dr. Weaver smiled at the thought of Dr. Hall possessing the foresight to pair Fitz and Simmons together. Director Fury would be interested to hear of the fruits of their partnership. “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m sure your familiarity with each other will result in some amazing work. And yes, there is another younger cadet who is from Colombia. That may be why you haven’t heard about her, but she’s quite capable. I encourage you to read her dissertations in medical engineering and biochemical regeneration technologies.”

Fitz’s jaw dropped when Dr. Weaver mentioned this other cadet’s qualifications. ‘This cadet practically invented the field of medical engineering. Maybe her work would get her introduced to other brilliant minds like Dr. Helen Cho. Or even Dr. Bruce Banner!’ Fitz thought. ‘But Simmons’s work is just as brilliant. Would it hurt to meet this mystery cadet? And would it hurt if I became friends with her?’

“Oh, yes of course! I’ll take a look at her papers.”

Dr. Weaver nodded and turned to walk back towards her office. “We are proud and excited to have you three here, Dr. Fitz. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to aid your progress. I’ll be keeping an eye on all of you.”

“Thank you,” Fitz responded. His mind started racing. Could he have hit the jackpot and have found two young, brilliant minds just like himself all pursuing illustrious careers with S.H.I.E.L.D.? He felt a sense of acceptance S.H.I.E.L.D. searched for and recruited him, Simmons, and the mystery cadet. He couldn’t wait to call his Mum and Amanda to tell them the news, but it would have to wait until after his Advanced Aeronautical Engineering and Advanced Quantum Mechanics lectures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All and any suggestions are welcome!


	4. Stylin’ and Profilin’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Marie and Pierre Curie! Lewis and Clark! Simon and Garfunkel!” Fitz recited, back turned to Simmons.
> 
> Simmons looked up from her notebook sitting on the lab bench to roll her eyes. “Honestly, Fitz! We just started working together and you already believe we’d be more successful than the Curies, a pair of wandering Americans, and a ‘60s folk music duo?”
> 
> “To be the man, you gotta beat the man! Whoo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT FINALLY HAPPENED! But... does the talk about space mean one of FS are on that quinjet from Daisy's vision?
> 
> Anyway, here's another short chapter. Working on some longer chapters that should follow soon and have a few more of our favourite characters. :)
> 
> Also, try to guess what the pro wrestling reference is. I think of Fitz having more confidence when he pretends to be someone else, kinda why I threw that into this chapter.

“Marie and Pierre Curie! Lewis and Clark! Simon and Garfunkel!” Fitz recited, back turned to Simmons.

Simmons looked up from her notebook sitting on the lab bench to roll her eyes. “Honestly, Fitz! We just started working together and you already believe we’d be more successful than the Curies, a pair of wandering Americans, and a ‘60s folk music duo?”

“To be the man, you gotta beat the man! Whoo!” Fitz yelled, back still turned towards Simmons.

“What the bloody hell are you talking about? Did you just ‘whoo’ at me?” Simmons stared at Fitz in total confusion.

Fitz straightened up and turned slowly around. “Sorry, Simmons. I tend to get really enthusiastic about things.”

“That’s quite alright, but what was that last bit about having to ‘beat the man’?” Simmons emphasized the last three words by using air quotes.

Fitz blushed and looked down at his feet. “I may or may not have quoted a pro wrestler… I used to watch old wrestling matches with me granddad. He always got a kick out of me doing impressions of them.”

“Aw, Fitz! That’s adorable. Now, stop being a prat and help me with our project,” Simmons said as she swatted at Fitz’s shoulder. Fitz walked over with an embarrassed smile and looked over Simmons’s shoulder, taking in her immaculate penmanship as he read over her notes. 

Fitz had always thought he and Simmons would work well together. Simmons had even mentioned the same as they set up for their first lab session. But what they didn’t count on was how easy it was to bounce ideas off each other. Their banter, which to some appeared to be incessant bickering, began to bear fruit as they completed their lab assignments for Dr. Hall in a matter of weeks. Simmons even picked up the extra credit assignments for the entire semester and insisted they begin work immediately. On a Friday evening. 'Bloody hell, this woman truly does love homework more than life itself,' Fitz thought. 'Maybe this is my chance to impress her?'

Fitz pointed to a bullet point in Simmons’s notebook. “You know Dr. Hall is expecting everyone to go about this project in the same manner.”

Simmons looked up from Fitz’s finger in her notebook. “Fitz, it’s Olefin Metathesis. Drs. Chauvin, Grubbs, and Schrock won the Nobel for their work here.”

“Yeah, yeah. They won the Nobel for finding a few catalysts and explaining the reaction. We can do better,” Fitz said dismissively.

Fitz walked over to the whiteboard wall and wiped it clean. He looked for a black marker, bypassing the neon colours left by Sally Weber. Fitz found a usable marker in a drawer next to the whiteboard and started writing chemical formulas. Simmons could only watch in astonishment as Fitz went to town on the whiteboard. She was reminded of a scene from ‘Good Will Hunting' as Fitz quietly wrote, much like how Will Hunting solved a complex problem from algebraic graph theory. Simmons harbored an immense crush on Matt Damon ever since for playing an undiscovered genius, and now, her friend (best friend?) was filling a whiteboard with formulas, brief notes, and even a diagram. When Fitz was just about done, he began to explain the process. Simmons was finally able to compose herself and interjected a few notes of her own which Fitz easily incorporated into his writings. 

“It’ll be a variation or even an improvement of Olefin Metathesis…” Fitz began.

Simmons continued, “but with fewer undesired by-products or hazardous waste.”

“Of course, it will be completely dependent on alkenes we choose…” Fitz turned towards Simmons.

“But we can test various alkenes and give Dr. Hall all of our results…” Simmons walked to the whiteboard.

“And thus, ruining the curve for everyone!” they finished together, facing each other.

They beamed at each other and bounced on the soles of their feet, excited at their hypothesis.

“Fitz, this is brilliant!” Simmons was genuinely impressed with Fitz.

“Well, it may be a brilliant hypothesis, but I need a biochemist to really make this happen. Luckily, I happen to know the best.” Fitz gave Simmons a shy smile.

Simmons blushed at Fitz’s compliment and said, “Well, then I suppose we should get to work. You can rehearse your Nobel acceptance speech while I take inventory of what we have and what we’ll need.”

“Simmons! It’s Friday. I think we’ve done enough work for the night. How about we grab some pizza and catch up on ‘Doctor Who’?” Fitz whined.

Simmons’s stomach rumbled, sparking a hopeful smirk from Fitz. “Oh, alright. I suppose we’ve made enough of a breakthrough to earn a bit of free time.”

Fitz fist pumped the air in triumph. “Was that all it takes to earn free time? A Nobel-level hypothesis? If I’d known that, we could have been out of here ages ago.”

Fitz ducked as Simmons’s pen whistled by his ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some science and FS alone time! Again, all and any comments, critiques, and feedback are appreciated.


	5. I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Fitz pulled his credit card out to pay for their food, the girl behind the counter cooed at Simmons and said, “You two are the cutest couple I’ve ever seen! How long have you been together?”
> 
> Fitz stuttered that they weren’t together while fumbling his credit card, somehow kicking it under the counter. As he maneuvered himself into a prone position on the ground and attempted to fish out his credit card, Simmons looked up at the girl behind the counter and deadpanned, “We’re still quite new. As you can tell, I haven’t finished training him yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I know I'm stealing the 'shark' reference from someone else on here, but using it was too good to pass up. Hope y'all like this chapter!

“Fitz! How could you want to eat something so incredibly unhealthy for you?” Simmons asked as Fitz pointed to a picture of a Meat Lover’s pizza on the menu.

“Unhealthy? Possibly. Delicious? Absolutely. Now tell me why would you want to cover a perfect pizza with rabbit food?” Fitz stuck his tongue out in disgust, drawing a giggle from Simmons.

After more deliberation at the counter of Papa Shark’s Pizza, Fitz and Simmons compromised and ordered a half Meat Lover’s/half Veggie Delight pizza. When Fitz pulled his credit card out to pay for their food, the girl behind the counter cooed at Simmons and said, “You two are the cutest couple I’ve ever seen! How long have you been together?”

Fitz stuttered that they weren’t together while fumbling his credit card, somehow kicking it under the counter. As he maneuvered himself into a prone position on the ground and attempted to fish out his credit card, Simmons looked up at the girl behind the counter and deadpanned, “We’re still quite new. As you can tell, I haven’t finished training him yet.”

Right on cue, Fitz shouted his success that he retrieved his credit card, then yelped in pain as he banged the back of his head on a section of the counter that stuck out further than he had anticipated. The girl behind the counter giggled in amusement and Simmons couldn’t help but smile at Fitz as he cursed up a storm and rubbed the back of his head.

“Fitz, be a dear and pay the girl so we can hurry back and get you an ice pack for your head,” Simmons said, stifling a giggle.

Fitz handed his credit card over, cradling it with both hands. After the girl rang them up, he picked up their pizza and followed Simmons out of the pizza parlor while rubbing the back of his head. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you Simmons?”

“I am quite hilarious, wouldn’t you agree? Besides, you’re the one making everyone laugh,” Simmons smiled at Fitz. “And, if you weren’t so thick headed, we may be on our way to hospital instead.”

Fitz mumbled under his breath, “I only have a thick head to protect my big brain.”

Simmons laughed and linked her arm with Fitz’s for the short walk back to Simmons’s dorm. As they walked, they debated which actor was their favourite portrayal of The Doctor as they couldn’t decide which series to watch.

“Simmons! It’s universally accepted that Scotsmen make the best Doctors! McCoy, Tennant, Capaldi. All Scots,” Fitz contended, sticking a finger out on his hand for each name he listed for emphasis.

“It’s not universally accepted if everyone with half a brain disagrees! Tell me, why does The Doctor always speak with an English accent then? And looking at the recent series, Matt Smith was fabulous as The Doctor,” Simmons replied.

“Could it be because you want to snog him?” Fitz teased.

Simmons stopped in her tracks. “Fitz! I’m quite capable of appreciating one’s talents as opposed to allowing their looks to influence my preference of Doctors.”

“I’m sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just teasing,” Fitz apologized.

Simmons walked to the door of her dorm building and scanned her keycard. When the door beeped and unlocked, she gestured Fitz in. “That’s quite alright, Fitz. Besides, you are right. I wouldn’t mind snogging the Eleventh Doctor.”

“You’re so bloody funny!” Fitz cried out, words dripping with sarcasm.

They made their way to Simmons’s room and quickly unloaded their bags and food. Fitz went over to a bookcase to pick out the DVDs for the Tenth Doctor as Simmons retrieved paper plates, napkins, and a pair of beers.

“Where’d you get those bottles of heaven?” Fitz asked as Simmons placed everything on her coffee table.

“A girl is entitled to a few secrets, Dr. Fitz,” Simmons winked.

Fitz smiled and shook his head as he set up the TV for their ‘Doctor Who’ marathon. Simmons didn’t even bat an eyelash when she noticed Fitz picked a David Tennant series to watch. They filled their plates and settled into the couch together. They munched happily on their pizza, mostly because they were spending their Friday night together and engaged with one of their favourite activities.

When the credits rolled at the end of the second episode, they quickly broke to clean up and settle in for the remaining episodes. Fitz threw away their trash and placed the leftover pizza in the fridge. Simmons went in her bathroom to change into her pajamas and brought a blanket back to the couch. Once Fitz was finished, he ran into Simmons’s bathroom where she kept a spare toothbrush just for him. She also kept some of Fitz’s clothes on hand for nights like this. ‘She does excel in preparation,’ Fitz thought as he put on a pair of his flannel pajama pants and headed back to the couch.

“Ready?” Simmons asked as Fitz settled in next to her.

Fitz nodded and Simmons pressed play on the remote. She grabbed the blanket and covered both of them. Then Simmons scooted closer to Fitz and laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping both of her arms around his. Fitz froze for a moment, then relaxed. This was the first time Simmons had gotten so close to him. Sure, she would grab his arm to pull him somewhere or run her fingers through his wild curls to try and tame his hair in the morning. But to Fitz, this felt different. Like something a girlfriend would do.

Fitz tried to sneak a peek down at Simmons and got a whiff of her shampoo. Her hair smelled like lavender and comfort. He couldn’t help but wonder what Simmons was thinking about. If this was starting to blur the lines between them. It was almost if Simmons could read his mind as she sat up with a horrified look on her face.

“I’m so sorry, Fitz! I wasn’t even thinking before getting all into your personal space…” Simmons apologized, voice jumping an octave.

“It’s alright, Simmons. I don’t mind. It was nice, actually,” Fitz interrupted with a shy smile.

Simmons smiled back as her shoulders relaxed. “Well then, I suppose if you’re OK with it…” Simmons placed her head back on Fitz’s shoulder and wrapped her arms back around Fitz’s arm, squeezing a little tighter this time. Fitz sighed in contentment and focused back on the TV.

Another episode later, Simmons’s phone rang. She sat up and Fitz began to miss the warmth of her body pressed against him.

“It’s my parents, I’ll just chat with them for a few and we’ll get back to the rest of our marathon?” Simmons asked.

Fitz nodded and reached for a notebook in his bag. Simmons paced around her room as she spoke to her parents, giving them the obligatory updates on her week and progress in her classes. She talked about their work in the lab and how they were so far ahead of all the other students. Fitz smiled to himself as he could hear the excitement and pride in Simmons’s voice as she talked about their work. He pulled out a pen and jotted down notes on a few pages, mostly in preparation for the remainder of the semester. His pen stopped writing when he heard Simmons whisper his name as she spoke softly on the phone. Fitz couldn’t hear anything else since her back was to him, but he quickly went back to writing when he heard Simmons end her call.

“Right, sorry about that. Now shall we get back to your beloved Scotch Doctor?” Simmons said as she got settled again on the couch. Fitz quickly threw his things back into his bag and hit play as Simmons wrapped herself around his arm again.

Fitz drifted off to sleep during the last episode of the series, not too long after Simmons fell asleep. Around 2 in the morning, he woke because his arm was completely numb. He attempted to remove his arm from under Simmons’s head and adjust his body so he was leaning onto the arm of the couch, all without waking her. While he was successful in returning the feeling to his arm, Simmons shifted on top of him when he leaned onto the arm of the couch, her head now resting on his chest. Fitz instinctively draped his arm around Simmons who hummed in her sleep. It felt comfortable and pleasurable at the same time. Fitz was experiencing strange emotions he never felt before, but instead of dwelling on them tonight, he decided he would deal with them in the morning. As Fitz drifted off to sleep again, he sighed in content and lightly kissed the top of Simmons’s head.


	6. Cruel and Unusual Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A movie? This isn’t the American public school system, Simmons! You can’t just show a movie at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy!”
> 
> Simmons narrowed her eyes at Fitz. “It’s not just any movie, it’s a detailed documentary of the role forensics plays in law enforcement. And the documentary maker was a consultant on ‘Bones’ which happens to be the most accurate portrayal of forensics on TV!”
> 
> Fitz chuckled. “That’s excellent preparation, Simmons. I’m impressed you attempted to account for questions you’d most likely receive for an entire semester and fit it into a single binder. Even your golden parachute if all fails. Surprised you didn’t go with a cyanide capsule in your back molar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but I'm back! With a few more chapters already written!!

Fitz woke up to the whistling of the kettle and spotted Simmons padding around in kitchenette. Each dorm room contained a small refrigerator, a sink, and an electric stovetop to provide cadets incentive to cook for themselves, especially over the weekend when the academy cafeteria was closed. Fitz stretched and stood up, folding the blanket neatly and draping it over the back of the couch, before heading over to the counter where Simmons laid out two mugs, milk, and sugar.

“Morning, Simmons,” Fitz said softly, not quite sure how to feel or behave after his first ever coed sleepover.

Simmons turned to Fitz and smiled warmly. “Morning, Fitz! I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up, but I figured the smell of English Breakfast would draw you from your slumber. A drop of cream and three sugars, just the way you like it.”

Fitz took the offered mug and let the warm scent fill his lungs. “Thanks, Simmons. This is perfect.”

He took a healthy sip and closed his eyes as the hot tea worked its way through out his body. When he opened his eyes, he could see Simmons smiling as she took a sip of her own tea. They both held their gazes for a moment before turning away at the same time. Fitz felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and saw that his mum was calling.

“Oh shite! Sorry, Simmons. I need to be going, my mum made me promise to call her every Sunday or else she wouldn’t let me come to the academy,” Fitz quickly drank the remainder of his tea before rushing to gather his things.

Simmons’s smile only grew larger at the sight of Fitz stumbling around her dorm room so he could get back to his own room to talk to his mum. She understood that Fitz and his mum only had each other and could only imagine Mrs. Fitz’s loneliness with Fitz across the ocean. “Not a problem, Fitz. I hope you and your mum have a good talk.”

Fitz paused before opening the door. “Thank you for understanding, Simmons. I’ll text you later, yeah?”

“Of course,” Simmons replied, giving him a small wave. Fitz smiled and waved back before heading out the door.

Once the door closed, Simmons let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She was still reeling from the fact that Fitz slept over, even more that she and Fitz slept on the couch together. Simmons didn’t know why, but she felt a warm but unusual feeling when she woke up and noticed Fitz’s arm around her shoulders, holding her secure to his side. She never felt so comfortable and warm in her life, and it confused her for a moment before she pushed it out of her mind and cleaned up the tea mugs. Simmons decided that the fun from the night before simply carried over to the morning and thought nothing more of it. Besides, she had a full day to study while doing laundry before another week of classes.

At the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, the top cadets from each of the three schools (Science and Technology, Communication, and Operations) are asked to act as a teaching assistant for a half-semester class open to cadets enrolled at the other two schools. Director Fury believed that cadets should have exposure to as much as possible before they were eligible for their field assessments. “Agents should be able to handle anything thrown their way!” Fury once yelled. “Or at least know what they’re fuckin’ around with until an expert arrives!” 

Fitz and Simmons were among those selected and jumped at the opportunity, hoping it would improve their already impressive resumés and help land them their preferred assignments after graduation. Fitz elected to assist the Beginning Electronics course, which was made up of mostly Operations cadets. Simmons chose to assist the Intermediate Forensics course comprised mostly of Communication cadets.  
Instructors typically let their teaching assistants handle the classes. “Teaching reinforces what you already know!” Fury also yelled. Fitz and Simmons were given their class rosters and went about preparing for their respective classes in completely different ways. 

A few mornings after their sleepover, Fitz asked Simmons over breakfast about what she had planned for her first class, Simmons produced a 2-inch binder.

“Simmons, what the bloody hell is that?” Fitz asked, staring at the massive binder.

“Fitz, it’s my lesson plan,” Simmons said proudly.

Fitz hesitated a moment, debating whether or not he should burst Simmons’s confidence. “I know you spent a lot of time and energy on this, but I think this might be a bit too much?” Fitz said slowly, hoping Simmons wouldn’t be too offended.

“What do you mean? I’m just very detailed and tried to account for a number of variables.” Simmons opened the binder and began to explain her process to Fitz. “You see, if a student is not understanding a part of the lesson, I have options on how to proceed. Sometimes a student just needs a little guidance to get going, but sometimes a student has a question the entire class has and a single answer can help prod the entire class in proper direction.”

“Simmons! Are you telling me you tried to account for every type of question someone could have?” Fitz exclaimed.

Simmons frowned at Fitz. Crossing her arms, she replied, “Of course not. Mathematically speaking, it would be impossible to anticipate the infinite possibilities of questions. I simply came up with a list of questions or issues that are most likely to be encountered given the material to be covered and planned accordingly. The color coding of the tabs in the binder go along with the type of question answered. Green indicates a harmless question, say a question to clarify instructions. Yellow would mean that the student has a bit of difficulty understanding a particular concept. Red means the student is completely lost.”

Fitz chewed on his toast as he listened. He swallowed and pointed to a black tab with only a few pages behind it. “What does black mean?”

“Black means I move into an alternative plan and show a movie.”

“A movie? This isn’t the American public school system, Simmons! You can’t just show a movie at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy! Even I think that's cruel and unusual punishment!”

Simmons narrowed her eyes at Fitz. “It’s not just any movie, it’s a detailed documentary of the role forensics plays in law enforcement. And the documentary maker was a consultant on ‘Bones’ which happens to be the most accurate portrayal of forensics on TV!”

Fitz chuckled. “That’s excellent preparation, Simmons. I’m impressed you attempted to account for questions you’d most likely receive for an entire semester and fit it into a single binder. Even your golden parachute if all fails. Surprised you didn’t go with a cyanide capsule in your back molar.”

Simmons’s fingers started to play with the bottom of her jumper. “Actually, this binder is just for one class.”

“One… one class? Are you telling me that you have a binder like this for every class?” Fitz eyebrows nearly touched his hairline.

“Possibly…” Simmons looked down at her binder in embarrassment. “What about you, Fitz? How did you prepare for your class?”

Fitz reached into his bag and pulled out three pieces of paper stapled together. “The entire course is outlined on these three pages. Everything we’ll do is hands on. Plus, with electronics, I have 5 simple rules that works for everything.”

“How long did you spend on this?” Simmons asked as she flipped through the thin packet.

“Oh, I wrote it while you were on the phone with your mum and dad.” Fitz took back the packet and returned it to his bag.

“Fitz! I was on the phone with them for 15 minutes!” Simmons gasped in shock.

“I guess I was motivated? How long did you spend on your Encyclopedia Simmons-tannica?”

“10 hours…”

“10 hours? When did you find 10 bloody hours to create these immense volumes?”

“I may or may not have gotten up early over the last week to finish these. Now can we please change the subject?” Simmons’s face was beet red in embarrassment.

Fitz nodded, “Of course. I’m sure your class with be very appreciative of your foresight and attentiveness to their needs.”

Simmons smiled warmly at Fitz. “Thank you, Fitz!”

“And if you have a student who can’t see the board because they’re too short, they’ll have these nifty booster seats to sit on,” Fitz smirked as he focused again on his cup of Earl Grey.

“Ugh, Fitz!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Let me know!!


	7. What Women Want (Or What Men Think Women Want??)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Turbo! Come on in! Grab a beer and we’ll play ‘Call of Duty’ to get your mind off of Simmons,” Mack greeted in his deep baritone voice.
> 
> The other cadet scoffed, “Oi, what kind of bloody name is ‘Turbo’?”

As the next few weeks progressed, Fitz and Simmons spent a considerable amount of time together. Rarely would one be seen without the other in the lab, the library, lecture halls, or anywhere else on campus. Fitz always knew to look for a good morning text from Simmons, who always seemed to be bright and chipper at six in the morning, to make sure he was beginning his 45 minute process of dragging himself out of bed. They would meet for a quick breakfast of toast and a cup of tea in the dining hall before heading off to their first classes. Even when they weren’t around each other, they were texting non-stop, except during class. Simmons’s rule was that neither would text if they were in class or knew the other was in class.

Simmons not only scheduled their lab time, but also took it upon herself to reserve a table at the library each day for their study sessions. Normally first-year cadets were at the bottom of the priority list when it came to reserving space in the library, but Simmons befriended one of the older cadets who worked the front desk. Simmons introduced Fitz to Barbara Morse (“I go by Bobbi. Call me ‘Barbara’ and it’ll be the last thing you ever say”) during their first study session together. Fitz mumbled his way through some small talk, clearly uncomfortable and intimidated around the tall cadet who could easily pass as a model.  
Simmons rolled her eyes at Fitz, which was becoming her favourite thing to do with Fitz, and thanked Bobbi with a smile.

“You’re the best, Bobbi!” Simmons exclaimed, excited that Fitz finally met Bobbi.

Bobbi smiled back at her favourite Englishwoman as Fitz walked towards their usual table. “Have fun on your date,” she added with a wink.

Simmons’s face flushed quickly as she attempted to deny Bobbi’s statement. “It’s not a date! We’re just studying together. I find his presence intellectually stimulating. It’s incredibly easy and refreshing to have someone like him to bounce ideas off each other!”

“Are you sure he isn’t stimulating you in other ways?” Bobbi asked, giving Simmons a devilish smile. Simmons could only flush redder and fidget her fingers nervously. “Besides, don’t you want to be with someone who you actually enjoy spending time with? You two are inseparable!”

Taking a deep breath, Simmons was finally able to respond. “We’re just friends Bobbi. Fitz is wonderful, I admit. But look at us, we’re so young surrounded by so many who are older and… more experienced. Being child prodigies and at least 5 years younger than everyone else in our class, it’s only natural for us to gravitate towards each other.”

Bobbi nodded as Simmons spoke. “I’m only saying you two have a better relationship than most married couples I know. Most would kill to have so many common interests where they’d want to spend every waking moment together.”

Simmons looked over at Fitz who was settled in at their table. Fitz was reading one of his text books as he twirled a mechanical pencil around his thumb. “We do have several common interests. That’s why I spend so much time with Fitz. I should be off, we have quite a bit of work to do tonight.”

Fitz looked up and smiled at Simmons as she placed her textbooks in a neat stack at the corner of the table. Fitz looked at his own study area and was briefly embarrassed of the haphazard stacks of books, and piles of papers strewn about. ‘Maybe we get on so well because we’re quite different,’ Fitz wondered to himself.

Fitz’s thoughts were interrupted by the clicking of a pair of high heels coming towards him. He looked around and saw a tall, leggy brunette walking in their general direction. Fitz immediately recognized her as Dr. Dr. Carmen Menco from his Advanced Aeronautical Engineering class. She wore a light blue jumper and with a matching plaid skirt. As she walked confidently by each table, more sets of eyes became focused on her. Carmen gave him a warm smile as she stopped next to Fitz’s chair. Fitz noticed a few jealous scowls thrown his way.

“Oh, Dr. Fitz! Can we meet to talk about midterm project?” Carmen asked, her thick Colombian accent made every word sound incredibly sexy.  
Fitz stole a brief look at Simmons who was glaring daggers at the gorgeous brunette standing next to their study table. As Fitz shifted his focus to Carmen, he noticed Carmen’s hands fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. ‘Those legs seem to go on forever. How am I ever going to get anything done in the lab with her as my partner?’ Fitz snapped out of his daydream when he realized he hadn’t actually responded to Carmen’s question.

“Yes! Sorry, Carmen! You surprised me there for a second. Please, just call me Fitz. How about we meet after our lecture tomorrow for lunch to go over the lab requirements?” Fitz gave himself an internal fist bump for actually being able to talk to a female in his age bracket not named Simmons without making a total arse out of himself.

Carmen’s bright smile warmed Fitz up from head to toe. “Si! That sounds perfect! See you tomorrow!”

Carmen took a few steps to leave but came back to Fitz’s side. She leaned in to whisper in Fitz’s ear. He could smell her intoxicating perfume as she spoke, “Oh, I almost forget. Here’s my number. I look forward to working with you.” Carmen handed Fitz a slip of paper with a wink and a smile. Fitz was speechless but managed a genuine smile and a wink back. 

As Carmen walked out of the library, Fitz turned back to Simmons, who clearly was not amused with their exchange. Fitz smiled sheepishly at Simmons and they went back to studying, silently.

After an hour, Fitz noticed Simmons was pretending to study and was distracted. Fitz looked up at her with a concerned look, raising an eyebrow at her when they made eye contact. Simmons took a deep breath and placed her pen on the table before speaking.

“So, Fitz… um… Carmen… She’s the other child prodigy Dr. Weaver mentioned to you?” Simmons stuttered.

“Yes. Carmen seems nice. Plus, Dr. Weaver said her work is brilliant,” Fitz replied, hands folded on top of his open text book.

Simmons took another deep breath and asked, “Have you read any of her work?”

Fitz looked up at Simmons. “Dr. Weaver suggested that we… well that I… but I suppose she’d say the same thing to you, read her dissertations. I’m sure Carmen read ours as well. We are the only geniuses here, you know.”

“Right. Yes, I read her work. And your right, she is brilliant,” Simmons said, looking back down at her notebook so Fitz couldn’t see the discomfort on her face. “She’s practically invented a new field of engineering.”

“Simmons, she is brilliant, but so are you. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, I’m only working with her for one engineering lab. You’re my research partner and study buddy,” Fitz said, giving Simmons a warm smile.

Simmons looked up and beamed back him. “You’re right, Fitz. I suppose I was a bit worried I’d lose you to someone else. I mean! That you’d decide you’d rather make scientific breakthroughs with someone else.” Simmons’s face flushed at her confession. She silently hoped Fitz wouldn’t read into the slip of her tongue.

Fitz continued unfazed. “Of course not. I’ve been wanting to work with you for years now. I’m not going to give this up without a fight.” Fitz paused for a moment. “What if there were an opportunity for the three of us to work together? Could you imagine having that kind of brain power in one lab focused on a single goal?”

Simmons slammed her books shut and quickly shoved her things into her backpack. “Leopold Fitz!” Fitz cringed at her usage of his full name. It meant he really fucked up this time. “If you truly think that our partnership alone is not enough to make all of these breakthroughs we dream about, then perhaps you should go work with Carmen instead and drool all over yourself when she bats her eyelashes and calls you ‘Dr. Fitz’!” Simmons hissed at him as she stomped away and left the library.

Fitz could feel Bobbi’s glare from the front desk and saw all of the confused/intrigued looks from the cadets sitting nearby. ‘Jesus! Why was it wrong that I suggest that the three child geniuses work together?’ Fitz decided to call it a night since he couldn’t focus after Simmons’s outburst. He packed his messenger bag and avoided eye contact with Bobbi on his way out the front door.

He headed back to his dorm, his emotions switching between anger at himself for upsetting Simmons and pure confusion as to why she was so upset. When he walked into his room, he threw his backpack on his desk chair and pulled out his phone to text Mack.

Fitz: ‘Why are women so bloody infuriating?’

Mack: ‘Because we love them so much. Trouble in paradise?’

Fitz: ‘I think I really pissed Simmons off.’

Mack: ‘Come on over for some video games and beer. It’ll help get your mind off of her while she cools off.’

Fitz: ‘Right, I’ll see you in a few.’

Fitz grabbed a jumper and headed out the door. Mack, short for Alphonso Mackenzie, was an older operations cadet who took a few mechanical engineering courses with Fitz. They sat next to each other and it took nearly two weeks before Mack could get Fitz to say more than 10 words to him. Since Fitz realized Mack’s love for working on motorcycles and cars, they struck up a fast friendship, Fitz’s only one outside of Simmons.

He barely noticed the walk across campus to Mack’s apartment as he tried to sort out what had happened in the library. Surely, Mack could tell him what he did wrong. Fitz walked into Mack’s apartment and saw him and another cadet sitting on the couch, playing video games.

“Turbo! Come on in! Grab a beer and we’ll play ‘Call of Duty’ to get your mind off of Simmons,” Mack greeted in his deep baritone voice.

The other cadet scoffed, “Oi, what kind of bloody name is ‘Turbo’?”

“Shut up, Hunter. His name is Fitz, but I call him Turbo because he’s a mechanical engineering genius.”

“I’m just busting his balls, Mack!” Hunter turned towards Fitz, extending his hand. “My name is Lance Hunter, mate, but I go by Hunter. Always nice to meet fellow Brits on this side of the pond.”

“I’m Fitz. Just Fitz,” Fitz said as he shook Hunter’s hand. Fitz walked to the kitchen to grab a beer. He opened the beer as he walked back into the living room and settled into a chair next to the couch.  
Mack tossed Fitz a third controller, and they silently played a few rounds of Call of Duty. Hunter became increasingly agitated as his avatar was killed almost instantly in each round, drawing chuckles from Mack and Fitz.

“This is nothing like real life, mate.” Hunter complained. “I’m former SAS. If this were a live training exercise, I’d own all of these 14 year olds.”

“You mean you’d beat up a bunch of children?” Fitz retorted, relishing Mack’s hearty laughter.

Hunter glared at Fitz with no malice behind the look. “Well aren’t you feeling better, Fitzy? Mack told me you were upset about a bird. Maybe I can help, I’m quite good at apologizing after screwing up.”

Fitz picked at the label of his beer bottle and waited until Mack had turned off the game console and stored their controllers. 

“Well I spend most of my time with Simmons. We knew of each other before we got to the Academy, but never spoke until our first day of classes. We work quite well together in the lab and in the library,” Fitz began.

“Read you loud and clear, mate. So you’ve snuck off to the one of the more deserted areas of the library to snog, right?” Hunter interrupted.

“What? No! We would never do anything like that. We’re just friends!” Fitz shouted.

Hunter scratched his head. “You’re telling me you’re upset about a girl you’re only friends with? That doesn’t make any sense. Just go find another girl to be your friend.”

“It’s not like that either. We’re very much alike. We push each other to be better and the competition between us… well… it’s fun.”

“Got it, just friends. Then what happened tonight?”

Fitz took a deep breath as he thought about how confused he was at Simmons’s unexpected flash of anger. He then thought about the flash of hurt on her face as she gathered her belongings before storming out of the library. His resigned sigh spoke volumes as Mack and Hunter shared a quick glance before Mack walked into the kitchen to fetch a fresh round of beers.

“Let’s talk about something else, Turbo,” Mack said, handing Fitz a fresh beer. “We can gang up on Hunter and his torrid affair with Bobbi.”

Hunter choked on his beer. “How did you hear about that?”

Mack smiled at Fitz as he took a sip of his beer. “I have my sources. Besides, how many times have you two tried to make this work? Six? Seven?”

Hunter shot Mack a half-hearted glare. “All that matters, Alphonso, is that I never gave up.”

Fitz let Hunter’s words bounce around his head for a moment. ‘Clearly, perseverance is the right course of action,’ Fitz thought. ‘That and a significant amount of groveling.’ Fitz felt a load lift off his shoulders and raised his bottle to toast the other two cadets.

“To never giving up.”

“That’s the spirit, Turbo,” Mack cheered, clinking the bottom of his bottle with Fitz’s.

“Cheers, mate. Unless she’s a hellbeast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! But I've got a bunch more done and ready to post over the next few days!
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	8. It’s Friday Night and I Feel Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that there was a lot of 90's music played in the Boiler Room when these two were in the academy. Right? Guys? Anyone?
> 
> Anyways, this was a silly chapter, but I promise it isn't a throwaway. Maybe. I dunno!!!

“Fiiiiiiiitz! I want to dance!” Simmons yelled above the din of the Boiler Room. Fitz couldn’t understand why American bars had to play such bass heavy music. He could barely hear Jemma even though she stood right next to him.

“You go ahead, Simmons! I’m a horrendous dancer! Besides, I’m sure there are loads of people who’d want to dance with you!” Fitz yelled back. 

He hoped he could pawn off Tipsy Simmons onto someone else so he hang out at the corner of the bar. Although he’s only known Simmons for a few weeks at this point, he’s learned the two most important things about Tipsy Simmons: 1) Tipsy Simmons always wants to dance, and 2) Tipsy Simmons always turns into Handsy Simmons. 

Simmons pouted at Fitz. “But Fitz! It’s quite simple! All you need to do is move with the rhythm provided by the music!”

The DJ (whom Fitz recognized as a computer specialist in the Communication school) decided to mix in some early 90’s R&B to the squealing delight of several female cadets. The opening lines to Montel Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It’ was enough for Simmons to try and physically drag Fitz out on the dance floor.

“Simmons! I’m quite content to have an evening where I don’t embarrass myself!” 

Simmons dropped Fitz’s arm in disgust. “Fine! Maybe I’ll find a strapping Operations cadet to be my dance partner!”

Fitz sighed as Simmons took off for the dance floor. Fitz weaved his way between dancing cadets and headed over to the bar to get another drink. He was old enough to drink back in Scotland, but for some reason, Americans will allow their young to fight and die in war but not drink a beer. Thankfully, Fitz had tutored one of the bartenders in his Beginning Electronics course. The Operations school only required that cadets gain a passable understanding of electronics to access, sabotage, bypass, or hack a plethora of potential electronic devices they may encounter in the field. Fitz, being a rocket scientist, simplified the procedures so that even a monkey could get the job done.

“Fitz! Another drink?” Fitz heard as he walked up to the corner of the bar. Fitz looked over and nodded at the bartender. Antoine Triplett, or Trip as he preferred to be called, grabbed a bottle of Dewar’s White Label and poured Fitz two fingers of the amber coloured beverage.

“Thanks, Trip! What do I owe you?” Fitz asked as he deposited his empty glass and picked up his fresh drink.

“This one’s on me, Fitzy! I aced my electronics assessment thanks to your five point system,” Trip replied with a beaming smile.

Fitz chuckled and nodded his gratitude as he turned back to find Simmons. He scanned the bar until he spotted Simmons attempting to dance with an uninterested third-year cadet he recognized from his Advanced Weaponry class. Simmons had her arms above her head and was swaying her body without any semblance of rhythm. Her eyes were closed and when her dance partner noticed this, the cadet took off as fast as he could towards the restrooms.

‘Poor Simmons,’ Fitz thought. ‘I’m going to have to do a lot of groveling tonight or else I wouldn’t hear the end of how I abandoned her and could have prevented her from embarrassing herself.’

“Dr. Fitz! I surprised to see you here tonight.” Fitz yelped in surprise and turned towards the heavily accented voice. Fitz was so focused on Simmons that he didn’t even notice Carmen standing right next to him, sipping on a mojito.

“Ah… yes! Carmen, I’m only here because Simmons dragged me out here. And please, just call me Fitz.” Fitz took a long sip of this scotch, grateful he had a bit of liquid confidence in his hand to help him speak to his gorgeous colleague.

Carmen gave Fitz a warm smile and set her empty glass on the bar behind her. “Yes, I can call you ‘Fitz’, but ‘Dr. Fitz’ rolls off my tongue better.”

‘Holy shit! Why does everything she say sound sexy?’ Fitz started to fidget nervously. Here he was, an 18 year old who wasn’t even through his first semester at the Academy and had grown up isolated from everyone his own age that now had the great fortune to spend considerable time with two fellow child prodigies. They both even took a real interest in getting to know him, but for some reason Fitz couldn’t figure out, Simmons and Carmen didn’t seem to get along.

“Ah, I suppose if you like calling me ‘Dr. Fitz’, I could learn to live with it,” Fitz said. He was surprised at how easily he came up with that. ‘Good God, did I just flirt with her? I just flirted with a girl? Did she like it?’ Fitz’s mind started to race at the possible discovery of his new found ability to flirt with an attractive member of the opposite sex.

“Yes, I’m sure you will,” Carmen winked, holding another mojito in both hands. Carmen pursed her lips around her straw as she took a sip of her cocktail. Fitz quickly changed the subject to keep him from turning into a drooling statue, staring at Carmen. 

“How are you getting drinks if you’re underage?” Fitz quickly asked.

Carmen giggled and playfully pushed Fitz’s shoulder. “You’re silly. I can ask you the same thing.” Carmen pointed to the other bartender working with Trip. “Elena is from Colombia, too. We bond like sisters. She take care of me. What about you?”

Fitz pointed his thumb over his shoulder in Trip’s direction. “I helped Trip study for his electronics assessment, and in return, he takes care of me.”

“That’s good. Sometimes, we need people to help take care of us.”

Fitz nodded in agreement. When Fitz was introduced to Carmen, he was paired with her in his Advanced Aeronautical Engineering class by Dr. Vaughn. During their first lab session together, the realization hit him that this was the third child prodigy Dr. Weaver had mentioned to him on the first day of classes. He hit it off much easier with Carmen than he did with Simmons, mostly because Simmons made him feel nervous because she was, well she was the Jemma Simmons.

Fitz smiled and noticed how her dark brunette hair cascaded around her face and landing just below her shoulders. Her caramel coloured eyes were warm and inviting. And the way her mouth played with the straw of her drink was mesmerizing.

“There you are, I think I’m ready to leave.” Simmons suddenly made herself present next to Fitz, startling him for a moment.

“Already? I thought you wanted to dance?” Fitz asked, slightly turning his head towards Simmons, but keeping his eyes on Carmen.

“No, I think I’ve made quite the fool of myself tonight. Ready to go?” Simmons replied quickly, avoiding Carmen’s puzzled look completely.

Fitz downed the last bit of his scotch, relishing the burn as it made it was down his throat and placed his empty glass on the bar. He waved to Trip who threw him a thumbs up as he looked between Carmen and Simmons.

Fitz turned back to Carmen who was smiling at him.

“Shame you have to leave already,” Carmen mused.

Simmons grabbed Fitz’s arm and started to pull him towards the door. “Have a good evening, Carmen. I’ll see you in class.”

Once outside, Fitz pulled his arm back and looked at Simmons.

“Are you alright? You were acting a bit off after you came back from the dance floor.” Fitz asked, trying to make eye contact with Simmons.

“I’m fine. I was just ready to leave and head back to the dorm. Will you walk me back?” Simmons turned and started walking back to her dorm.

Fitz sighed and hurried to catch up. They walked back in silence in the cool autumn evening, the crunching of leaves under their feet on the sidewalk echoing the rhythm of their steps. Simmons shivered when a slight gust in the breeze hit them and Fitz removed his jumper and handed it to her.

Simmons smiled and pulled the jumper on. “Thanks, Fitz. For walking me home and taking care of me.”

“Taking care of you? I’d like to submit to the court that you’re the one taking care of me! Who else would make sure I’m well fed and on-time to all of my classes?” Fitz replied with mock exasperation.  
Simmons snorted in laughter. “Brilliant observation, Dr. Watson.”

Fitz grabbed Simmons’s forearm and pulled her to a halt. “Oi, I’m not Watson! I’m the crazy but brilliant genius. You’re the pragmatic and realistic genius! Ergo, I’m Sherlock and you’re Watson!”

“Yes, but you missed the single, most important variable,” Simmons tutted. Fitz’s face twisted in thought. Simmons smirked at how cute Fitz was when he was trying to solve a problem or an equation.

“What’s that?”

“I’m Dr. Dr. Jemma Fucking Simmons, biatch!” Simmons’s bellowing laughter was contagious as Fitz joined in. When they finally calmed down, Fitz noticed how close Simmons was standing to him.

“Thanks again for walking me home, Fitz. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Simmons leaned in closer. 

“Yes, of course. I’m dying for another Doctor Who marathon,” Fitz whispered as he could smell the faint aroma of Simmons’s shampoo.

“Have a good night then, Fitz.” Simmons kissed Fitz on the cheek and turned away before Fitz could see her blush. Fitz savored the feeling of Simmons’s lips on his cheek and watched as she entered her dorm building, flashing him a smile as the door shut.

“Good night, Simmons,” Fitz whispered, his fingers touching his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked it!


End file.
